Automatic feeder for soda-water-bottle fillers



June 3, 1930. G. J. MEYER ET AL l 1,761,223

AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR SODA WATER BOTTLE FILLERS Filed July 2, 1925 E/lO lllllllllllllllllllm|ll WITNESS Es Patented June 3, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENTl OFFICE GEORGE J'. MEYER, PETER G. SI-IODRON, AND OTTO DREHER, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCON- SIN, ASSIGNORS TO GEO. J. MEYER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR SODA-WATER-BOTTLE FILLERS Application filed July 2, 1923.

manual work usual in such operations.

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One object of the invention is to provide a double track of flat top chain forming conveyers running side by side in opposite directions, one conveyer conducting the bottles i l0 from the loadingtable of a washing machine and delivering them to the star wheel of the bottle filler and then receiving the bottles after they are filled and discharged from the `star wheel into a bottle catcher and conducting them against a deflector for transferring them to the opposite travelling conveyor so that they are returned to the loading table of the washing machine Another obj ect of the invention is to pro- 'vide a yielding guard for the stai' wheel which will permit of rapid operation without danger of the bottles becoming caught on the lstar wheel points.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the automatic feeder for soda water bottle fillers as herein claimed and all equivalents.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts in different views,

F ig. 1 is a plan view of an automatic feeder for soda water bottle fillers constructed in accordance with this invention, and

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof.

In these drawings, 10 indicates a frame supporting a double track of fiat top chains forming belt conveyers 11 and l2 for delivering bottles to and from the star wheel 13 of y `the bottle filler or other mechanism.v The conveyer chains, traveling in the directions indicated by the arrows thereon, conduct the bottles from the loading table of a washing machine or the like (not shown) to the filling machine and then return the bottles to or near such loading table. Between the conveyers and extending obliquely across the incoming conveyer 11 is a deflector 14.- which causes the bottles to slide off of said conveyer and into the notches of the star wheel 13. A yielding guard 15 is piv- Seral No. 649,040.

otally mounted on a spring pressed yielding bolt 16 and has a link connection 17 with a slidably mounted spring pressed bar 18. The spring for the bolt is indicated as 16', while the spring' for the bar is indicated as 18. Should a bottle become lodgedbetween the point of the star wheel and the end of the guard 15, said guard would yield and the link 17 would swing to press the bottle inwardly into the notch of the star wheel. On the other side of the star wheel is an adjustably mounted stationary guard 19 which prevents the bottles from leaving the star wheel until they are returned to the conveyer 11. As they approach said conveyer the bottles are stripped from the star wheel by means of the projectmg end ofthe deflector 14 and, as the star wheel is given a quick intermittent rotation,

the bottles are released with some force and Hector 21 which extends across both conveyers so that they are transferred onto the oppositely moving conveyer 12 and are returned by it to a point close to the loading table of the washing machine.

By means of this invention the bottles are automatically conducted from the loading table of the washing machine and fed to the ller and then, when discharged from the filler, are `automatically returned to the loading table of the washing machine, the choking of the star wheel of the filler being prevented by the yielding guard and the rapid discharge of the bottles from the star wheel being taken care of by the bottle catcher on the incoming conveyer, thus obviating entirely the necesi eling outgoing conveyer alongside of the incoming conveyer, and a deflector for transferring the bottles to the outgoing conveyer as they leave the bottle catcher.

2. In a bottle iller having a star wheel, an incoming belt conveyer for delivering bottles thereto, a deflect-or for directing the bottles from the conveyer to the star wheel, a yieldingly mounted guard for retaining the bottles in the starwheel comprising a curved guard member, a spring pressed bolt to which it is piv'otally mounted, a spring pressed bar, and a link connecting the spring pressed bar with the end of the guard member.

3. In a bottle filler having an intermittently rotating star wheel, a flat top incoming conveyer for delivering bottles thereto, ak delector extending across said conveyer for directing the bottles to the star wheel, a yielding guard for retaining the bottles in the star wheel and comprising a curved guard member pivotally mounted on a spring bolt and having a link connection at its end with a spring pressed bar, said deflector constituting a bottle catcher to receive the bottles discharged from the star wheel while they rest on the incoming conveyer, an outgoing flat top conveyer alongside the incoming conveyer, and a deieetor extending across both conveyers for delivering bottles from the incoming conveyer to the outgoing conveyer as they leave the bottle catcher.

4. In a bottle iller having a star wheel, means for delivering bottles to the star wheel, yieldingly mounted guard means for retaining bottles in the star wheel and including a curved guard member, spring means acting on said guard member to urge said member towards said star wheel, a spring-pressed bar, and a link connecting the spring-pressed bar with an end portion of said guard member.

5. In a bottle filler having a star wheel, means for delivering bottles to the star wheel, yieldingly mounted guard means for retaining bottles in the star wheel and including a curved guard member, spring means urging said guard member towards said star wheel and permitting the displacement of either end portion of said guard member away from said star wheel, and mounting means for said spring means permitting the displacement of said guard member in a direction peripherally with respect to said star wheel.

6. In a bottle filler having a star Wheel, means for delivering bottles to the star wheel, yieldingly mounted guard means for retaining bottles in the stai' wheel and including a curved guard member, a yieldingly mounted link connected to one end portion of said guard member adjacent the bottle-receiving position of said star wheel, and spring means acting on said guard member permit-ting its yielding movement at all portions thereof and normally urging said guard member in a direction towards said link.

7. In a bottle filler having a star wheel,

means for delivering bottles to the star Wheel, yieldingly mounted guard means for retaining bottles in the star Wheel and including a curved guard member, yielding supporting tures.

GEORGE J. MEYER. PETER G. SI-IODRON. OTTO DREHER. 

